


Flowers Are (Not) Mandatory

by izazov



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: First Dates, M/M, Pining, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-25 07:09:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13829079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/izazov/pseuds/izazov
Summary: Tony is not freaking out over his upcoming date with Steve Rogers. Okay, maybe he is. But only a little.





	Flowers Are (Not) Mandatory

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written in response to the Cap-IM Alphabet Challenge. My latter was F, and I chose the word 'flowers'. There are no actual flowers in the story, though.

“What is your stance on flowers?” Tony asked, pacing the length of his workshop.

Tony could hear the sound of rustling, followed by Rhodey’s confused and slightly hoarse voice, “What? Flowers…?”

Tony paused next to a workbench, fingers tapping impatiently against the smooth surface. “Yeah, Rhodey. Those colorful plant things that smell nice.”

“I know what flowers are,” Rhodey said. He didn’t sound like he was especially thrilled about this conversation. “Why are we discussing flowers?”

Tony rubbed at his forehead. “I need a second opinion.”

There were more rustling sounds. “A second opinion,” Rhodey said in a slow, careful voice. “On flowers.”

Tony huffed out an impatient noise. “Yes, Rhodey. Flowers. We’ve covered that part already. We still haven’t reached the part where you answer my question.” 

A beat of silence. “Tony, do you know what time it is?”

Tony glanced at his wrist watch. “Around five. Why?”

A deep sigh. “Because I’m in Bruxelles, Tony.”

Tony blinked and did a quick match. Then decided to ignore the result. “What are you doing in Bruxelles?”

“No longer sleeping, apparently,” Rhodey replied.

Tony shrugged. “Well, you’re awake now so you can answer my question.”

The ensuing silence was very, very loud. “Tony, I see absolutely no reason why I shouldn’t hang up on you now.”

“You say that to me after years of friendship?” Tony said. “I’m hurt, Rhodes. Deeply hurt.”

Rhodey snorted. “Yeah, I bet you are.” There was a pause, followed by more rustling and a deep, resigned sigh. “So, assuming you’re not drunk or high, there is an actual reason you want to discuss flowers. And I fully intend to blame the fact that I want to know what that reason is on being rudely awakened in the middle of the night.”

Tony braced himself against the edge of the workbench, trying but failing miserably to ignore the tight knot in the pit of his belly. “Here’s the thing. If I were to ask you out and you accepted, would you want me to buy you flowers for our date?”

The sound that came from the other end of the line sounded suspiciously like choked off laughter. Tony pressed his mouth into a thin line.

“We’ve been through this before,” Rhodey said, amused. “I love you, Tones, but not like that.”

Tony pushed away from the workbench and resumed pacing. “I have mean and cruel friends.”

“Who, for some reason, don’t hang up when you call in the middle of the night to talk about flowers,” Rhodey pointed out. There was a brief pause before Rhodey spoke again, calm and serious now, “What’s this about, Tony?”

Tony stopped dead in his tracks. He dragged his fingers through his hair. “I asked Steve out,” Tony said. There was a note of wonder in his voice he couldn’t quite stifle. “He said yes.”

“And now you’re freaking out,” Rhodey concluded.

“I am not freaking out,” Tony said, affronted. He took a deep breath, released it slowly. It did little to ease the pressure inside his chest. Or lessen the urge to do something ridiculous like buying out an entire flower shop so he wouldn’t be forced to choose only one kind. Or possibly inadvisable things. Like taking Steve to Louvre on their first date. “Okay, maybe I am freaking out. Tiny bit. I-- I don’t want to fuck this up, Rhodey.”

“Look, Tony, you and Steve have been through a lot. Not all of it was good, but you pulled through,” Rhodey said. “Even if most of it could have been avoided if the two of you had gotten your heads out of your assess sooner.”

“That was cruel and unnecessary.”

“Also true,” Rhodey said, deadpan.

Tony couldn’t quite muster enough denial to argue. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “You know what good friends do? They gloss over uncomfortable truths that are no longer relevant. Not throw them into their friends’ faces in their time of need.”

“Well, good friends get cranky when they’re woken in the middle of the night.”

“It was an emergency,” Tony said. He managed to stop himself from saying that he’d completely forgotten about Rhodey’s trip. Rhodey probably already knew that, but saying it out loud would have resulted in Rhodey ending the call.

“You called me to ask about flowers, Tony,” Rhodey said, carefully pronouncing each word. “Hypothetical flowers for our hypothetical date.”

Tony winced inwardly. “It sounds bad when you say it like that.”

There was another long pause. Tony walked over to the workbench, fingers tapping a discordant beat against his leg. He peered down at his coffee mug. Thankfully, there was still some coffee left.

“At least you finally made a move,” Rhodey said. He sounded faintly amused. “To be honest, my money was on Steve.”

Tony froze, the coffee mug halfway raised to his mouth. “What?” Tony sputtered, incredulous. Slowly, he set the mug back on the workbench. “What are you talking about?”

Rhodey sighed. “Pining, Tony. Silent, mutually reciprocated pining. It was funny for about a month. Then it was just sad. Clint even suggested a betting pool.”

Tony frowned. “Baton’s not even- What do you mean mutually reciprocated?”

“It means,” Rhodey said in a tone generally used when dealing with children. Not especially bright children. “You and Steve were too busy making sad, puppy dog eyes at each other to notice the other was doing exactly the same.”

Tony scraped his fingers across his face. He flopped down onto the nearest chair, bowing his head. “So. Everyone knew.”

“You weren’t exactly subtle. Either of you.”

“Unlike the rest of our friends,” Tony said, a touch sharper than he’d intended.

“That’s how you want to play this, Tony?” Rhodey said. There was an edge to his voice.

Tony remained silent - which was a dick move and he was well aware of that - half-expecting Rhodey to end the call. He was more than a little surprised when he heard a long, resigned exhale on the other end of the line.

“You’re such an asshole, Tony.”

Tony shut his eyes for a moment, the corner of his mouth lifting up. “It is a part of my charm,” Tony said. “You know that, honeybunch.”

Rhodey snorted. “Not the word I’d use.” There was another long pause. Then, “And I did try to talk to you about Steve.”

Tony straightened. “I think I would-” Tony cut himself off abruptly and stood up. A memory rose from the outskirts of his mind, now shown in a whole new light. “ _That_ was what that trip to Vegas was about? I knew there was something strange about how you kept bringing up Steve.”

“Because you were determined not to listen to a word I said. And then you got us both drunk.”

Tony snorted. “That’s what Vegas is for. And you really should have known better. When has subtle approach ever worked on me?”

“Yeah, because looking you in the face and saying ‘Tony, you want to have sex with Steve Rogers’ would have gone over so well.”

“Probably not,” Tony said, smiling faintly. He glanced down, hesitating a moment. Tony was very good at denial. It made his life easier. But once denial broke, and Tony had no choice but face the unwanted truth… well. Then it became impossible to ignore. “If sex was all I wanted from Steve, I wouldn’t be freaking out nearly as much.”

Admitting it out loud didn’t lessen the weight pressing down on Tony’s chest. It merely put in perspective just how much was riding on Tony not fucking up his date with Steve.

“You asked him out, he said yes. After nearly two years of pining, what happens next should be the easy part,” Rhodey said. There was a beat of silence. “Okay, I got to know. What made you break the status quo?”

Tony hesitated a moment. “I panicked,” he finally admitted, voice low.

“You panicked?”

Tony rubbed at his forehead. “Steve had mentioned taking a prolonged leave of absence from the Avengers a couple of times,” Tony said in a voice that was all but steady and casual. “I'd never taken him seriously.”

“You mean you didn't want to take him seriously,” Rhodey pointed out.

Tony frowned. “Yes, I've been living in denial. Yes, I've been an idiot. Yes, my feelings for Steve have not been strictly platonic for a while now.” Pausing, Tony dragged his fingers through his hair, forcing his voice into a calmer tone. “There, I said it. Can we, please, move on now?” 

“To be fair, Tony, the guy could use a little R&R,” Rhodey said, voice mild. “The closest he’d come to it was when he’d been a wanted fugitive.”

“Are you actively trying to be unhelpful?”

“I was trying to sleep, but then I made the mistake of answering your call,” Rhodey said. There was a beat of silence, followed by the sound of a heavy breath being expelled slowly. “You were saying...?”

“Two weeks ago, Steve brought it up again,” Tony continued. He could still feel the echo of pure, undiluted panic that had squeezed all air out of his lungs when Steve had started talking about how high were the cabin rental prices. “So I panicked and asked him out.”

“And he accepted.”

“Yeah, and now I need not to fuck up our date because-” Tony’s paused, dragging in a shaky breath. He scraped his fingers through his hair. “I don’t want him to leave.”

_I don’t want to lose him._

“Okay, so not exactly ideal circumstances for the first date,” Rhodey said. “Lots of added pressure.”

Tony frowned. “I called you to help me, not to freak me out more.”

Rhodey let out a deep breath. “In case you failed to notice, I still haven’t hung up on you,” Rhodey pointed out. “Just sayin’.”

“And I appreciate it,” Tony said. “I would appreciate advice even more.”

“You’re a piece of work,” Rhodey said, grudgingly amused. “You know that?”

“I heard it mentioned a couple of times, yes,” Tony said. “It’s not really helpful in my current situation.”

“Okay, Tony. You want advice? Here it is: talk to Steve. Forget flowers or whatever grand gestures you’ve been thinking of making. Just make sure Steve knows that you’re truly invested in… well, upgrading your friendship status.”

“Upgrading our friendship status?” Tony repeated, eyebrows going up.

“Would you prefer going steady?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Both are ridiculous, if you want the truth.”

“Last warning, Tony,” Rhodey said. “I have a meeting in four hours. I’d really like to get some sleep before that.”

Tony took a deep breath. “Not that I don’t appreciate your advice, but I was hoping for something more substantial than ‘talk to him’.”

“Well, that’s all you’re getting. Wanna know why?” Rhodey said. Tony was smart enough to recognize a rhetorical question when he heard one. “Because the two of you are lousy at communicating. Most of the shit you’ve pulled could have been avoided if you had actually sat down and discussed it like two rational adults. And that includes the last two years you’ve spent making googly eyes at each other’s backs.”

Tony tried to stop himself. He really, really did.

He failed.

“So, taking Steve to Louvre for our date is a ‘no’, then?” Tony asked.

He wasn’t at all surprised when there was nothing but silence on the other side of the line.

***

“Pepper, light of my life, how are you on this fine day?” Tony said, brightly. He eyed the schematic of Falcon’s wings, frowning at the increase in weight after his last modification.

There was a brief pause on the other side of the line. “I appreciate the effort, Tony, but I feel it is both our interests to tell you that Rhodey already called.”

Tony blinked. He turned away from the schematic of Falcon’s wings, rubbing at his forehead. “Should I be worried?”

“Do you think there is a reason you should be worried?”

“Nooo?”

“For once, that is true,” Pepper said. There was a brief silence before she spoke again. “So. You and Steve. Congratulations.”

Tony grimaced. “Yeah. Congratulations are nice. But I was kind of hoping for something else.”

“Rhodey did mention you were having a minor meltdown.”

“Rhodey is mean and grouchy,” Tony said. “Also, he exaggerates.”

A deep sigh. “I will tell you something. You probably won’t like it.” A beat of silence. Then, “That advice Rhodey gave you? You should take it.”

Tony let out a frustrated noise. “Not you too.”

“Let’s keep this simple, Tony. Steve Rogers accepted to go out on a date with you,” Pepper said. It was her no-nonsense tone. “Now, I don’t know Steve very well, but he doesn’t seem like a guy interested in casual dating. Which means he is interested in having a relationship with you.”

“That… doesn’t sound improbable,” Tony grudgingly admitted.

“So why are you freaking out?”

“Because I don’t want to drive him away,” Tony said in a low voice. “Like I did with you.”

“And yet here I am,” Pepper said. “Listening to you angst over Captain America.”

Tony sighed. “I just-- I want this to work. With Steve. I never thought I could have a chance with him, and now that I do…” Tony trailed off. Sighed. “I can’t afford to fuck this up, Pep.”

There was a brief pause. “You really care about him.” A statement, not a question.

Tony glanced down, his chest tightening with an ache he didn’t yet dare to name. “So much it scares me sometimes.” The words left his throat on a low, ragged exhale.

There was a long silence after Tony’s admission, interrupted only by the sound of Tony’s not quite steady breaths.

“You didn’t drive me away, Tony,” Pepper said, finally. “We simply didn’t fit. And it was never about little things. Like flowers. Or forgetting my birthday and our anniversary. There was - and still is - a large part of your life I couldn’t share. You don't have that problem with Steve. He is a part of that life.”

Tony let out a low, mirthless chuckle. “Yeah, for now.”

“Tony, you two have seen each other at your best and your worst. You live together. And when you asked him on a date, he said yes. What does that tell you?”

“Pep, we are talking about a guy who regularly jumps out of planes without a parachute,” Tony said. “His common sense is a bit questionable.”

“Then it is quite fortunate that you own a flying suit of armor,” Pepper said.

Tony felt the corner of his mouth tug up. “Pepper, you are the best.”

“And don’t you forget it.”

***

Tony located Steve in the gym. He leaned against the doorway, enjoying the way Steve’s muscles flexed underneath the grey T shirt that clung to Steve’s body like a second skin as he methodically pounded at the punching bag.

By the looks of things, the bag was losing. Even from a distance Tony could see the tears in the-

Frowning, Tony pushed away from the doorway. “What did you do to my bag, Rogers?” Tony demanded, striding forward.

Steve didn’t jump at the sound of Tony’s voice. He stilled the bag with one hand, his head snapping up and in Tony’s direction. He looked flushed and slightly out of breath, his hair mussed and damp with sweat.

It was a very good look on him.

“Hey, Tony,” Steve said, and for a moment Tony found himself distracted by the warm glow of Steve’s eyes. Steve’s ridiculously, unfairly blue eyes. “I didn’t expect to see you out of the workshop before diner.”

Tony narrowed his eyes at Steve. “Don’t try to distract me, Rogers,” Tony said. He eyed the spider web cracks on the surface of punching bag. The very costly, and supposedly super-soldier proof punching bag. “You weren’t supposed to wreck this one. I did the numbers-” Tony cut himself off, frowned. “Maybe if I could get my hands on a small amount of vibranium.” Tony gave Steve a sideways glance. “T’Challa likes you. And it would be for a good cause.”

“No, Tony,” Steve said. “I am not asking T’Challa for vibranium so you could make a punching bag.”

Tony threw up his hands in frustration. “But you keep destroying the ones I make.”

“Um. Sorry about that,” Steve said. He gave a sheepish smile, a spot of red appearing on his cheekbones. He let go of the bag, spreading his hands apologetically. “I guess I’ll have to be more careful in the future.”

Tony felt his mouth twitch faintly. “Or I’ll have to step up my game,” Tony said, sliding his hands into his pockets. “You’re a challenge, Rogers. I happen to like a challenge.”

Steve’s cheeks reddened further, but he kept his gaze firmly locked on Tony’s. “I’m happy to hear that,” Steve said, voice soft and earnest. Far too earnest for light teasing. “Because I happen to like you.”

Tony has never been more thankful for his inability to blush than in that moment. He barely stopped himself from fidgeting underneath Steve’s unblinking stare. It was disconcerting - or downright terrifying - how Steve could make him feel like an inexperienced teenager with nothing but a simple admission.

“That’s actually the reason why I’m here,” Tony said after a moment. To his immense relief his voice didn’t betray the dryness of his throat or the way his heart seemed determined to beat itself into cardiac arrest. “I have a question. About our date.”

Steve blinked, a tiny furrow creasing his forehead. He opened his mouth, then clicked it shut, his smile fading and shoulders going tense. “What about it?” Steve asked. His voice wasn’t as steady as usual.

Well. At least Tony wasn’t the only one freaking out. It was… actually a relief.

“I know we’ve agreed on Friday, but why wait until then?” Tony said, barely managing to keep still. He’d been walking around with a tight knot of nervous tension in the pit of his stomach ever since the moment Steve had said yes. And while that knot was still there, there was also something bright and exciting building inside his chest. “Why not go today?”

Steve stared at Tony one long moment. Tony couldn’t even begin the follow all the emotions flickering across Steve’s face, but he could recognize the final one. The one that mattered.

Excitement.

“I’m not exactly presentable right now,” Steve said, gesturing at himself. “Give me half an hour?”

Tony’s mind came up with four distinctly not PG-rated remarks at that. He settled for a wide grin instead. It earned him a look of exasperated amusement.

“Meet you in the garage when you’re ready,” Tony said, turning to leave. He made two steps before he stopped, craning his neck to meet Steve’s gaze. “Oh, and Steve? Wear something casual.”

There was something like confusion in Steve’s eyes for a second, but it was gone in the next moment, replaced by something almost giddy. It wasn’t something Tony was used to seeing in Steve’s eyes. He kind of liked it.

“I’ll be there.”

***

“I thought you were joking,” Steve remarked. He sounded baffled.

Tony bit into his hot-dog, quirking an eyebrow at Steve. They were sitting on a park bench that had a clear view of the small duck pond. “I never joke about junk food,” Tony said after a moment. “That would be sacrilegious.” Tony inclined his head in the direction of a nearby food stand. “Want another?”

“No, thank you,” Steve said, then frowned. “You took me to a park. For our first date.”

Tony gave Steve a sideways glance. “Yep,” he said. “Don’t you like it?”

Steve stared at Tony one long moment, incredulous and wary, before looking away. “I’m not sure what to think,” Steve said. He sighed, dragging a hand across his face. “You’re always confusing me. Since the first day I met you. Just when I think I know you…” Steve trailed off, bowing his head a little. He still wasn’t looking at Tony. “Do you event want to be here? With me?”

Tony wanted to smack Steve upside the head and wrap his arms around him all at the same time. It was a disconcerting feeling. He supposed that was probably how Pepper felt around him most of the time.

Maybe he’ll get a chance for the latter soon. But first they needed to talk.

Tony set aside his hot dog, then glanced down at his hands.

“I wanted to buy you flowers. Well. An entire flower shop because I have no idea what flowers you like and I really don’t know a thing about flowers except that I shouldn’t be trusted with them.” Tony sneaked a glance at Steve. Who was now staring at Tony like Tony had announced he was joining a circus. Or becoming a nun. “I had a plant back when I was at MIT. It didn’t end well for the plant.”

The explanation didn’t do much to erase the perplexed expression from Steve’s face. “Tony, there was a time when I didn’t understand the majority of things that would come out of your mouth,” Steve said, slowly and carefully. “I didn’t especially enjoy it. I still don’t.”

“I also wanted to take you to Louvre,” Tony blurted out before he had a chance chicken out. If anything, the way Steve had reacted to Tony’s chosen location for their first date was just another proof how much they were still relying on assumptions when it came to each other.

“Louvre,” Steve repeated, eyes wide. “Just so we are clear. We are talking about The Louvre in Paris?”

“There is another one?” Tony asked, frowning. It earned him a twitch of Steve’s mouth, not really a full smile, but no longer a thin line.

“Instead we came here,” Steve said, gesturing at the general direction of the duck pond. He was studying Tony with careful eyes. “May I ask why?”

Tony glanced down for a second. He watched his fingers rhythmically tap against his knee. “Because I have better friends than I deserve,” Tony said in a quiet voice. When he looked back, Steve was staring at him intently. “They made it clear that I should stop freaking out. And remember in which time zone they were before I called.”

“I’m guessing you mean Rhodey,” Steve said. He looked like he was struggling to contain a smile. “Did you wake him up?”

Tony gave a small shrug. “He was very grouchy.”

Steve shook his head. He was no longer trying to stop himself from smiling. “I can imagine,” Steve said, faintly amused. He stared at Tony one long moment. “Why were you freaking out?”

“I like you, Steve,” Tony said. It wasn’t nearly as difficult as Tony thought it would be to admit it. Then again, it was the safer, smaller L-word. “I have this habit of majorly screwing up when,” a huff of breath, “I’m emotionally invested.”

Something warm and soft was spreading across Steve’s expression. “You like me,” he said. There was a hint of mischief in the twist of his mouth. “It’s funny, but when you’re disagreeing with me, I cannot stop you from listing all the ways in which I am wrong and why I am wrong.” Quirking an eyebrow, Steve squared Tony with a pointed look. “I know you can do better than ‘I like you’.”

“Is that so, Rogers?” Tony said. Steve remained quiet, but there was no mistaking his ‘your move, Stark’ expression. Tony knew that expression. He’d never managed not to respond to that expression. “Well, I’d hate to disappoint.”

Steve grinned, his eyes sparkling with quiet laughter as they followed Tony as he rose to his feet and came to stand in front of Steve. He was probably expecting a show. And while it was partially true, Tony had something different in mind. Something that made him terrified down to his very core.

“I made a lot of mistakes in my life. You’ve been there for some of my biggest ones. This?” Tony gestured between them. “I don’t want this to be another mistake.”

Steve blinked, expression turning serious. “What do you want, Tony?” Steve asked, voice quiet.

Tony swallowed against the burn in his throat. “The last two years were nice. Having the team back again, and no major threats to the world. Peter actually managing to stay out of trouble for more than two weeks.” Tony paused, the corner of his mouth curving into a small smile. “You falling asleep on my shoulder.”

Steve was silent one long moment, studying Tony intently. A beat later, he rose to his feet. Tony made to take a step back - more out of reflex than any real desire to put more space between them - but was stopped by Steve fitting his hands on Tony’s waist.

He was smiling.

“Anything else you want?” Steve said. There was something solemn, almost fierce to his gaze that contradicted the light, almost teasing lilt of his voice.

“The exclusive rights to kissing you,” Tony said, arching an eyebrow. He brought his hands up, fingers bunching the soft leather of Steve’s jacket. “And other stuff.”

“Other stuff?” Steve snorted. “You can say sex, you know. I’m not going to faint.”

Tony grinned. “Is that a yes?”

Steve laughed, then leaned forward, resting his forehead against Tony’s. His fingers tightened their grip on Tony’s waist. Tony found he liked it. It felt possessive, protective and reassuring all at once. “You were not the only one freaking out,” Steve said, his breath warm on Tony’s face. “That’s- Uh. Remember when you found me in the gym? Let’s say that punching bag didn’t stand a chance.”

Tony laughed. He leaned further into the warmth of Steve’s body. “God, no wonder our friends think we are idiots.”

“I think Sam wanted to deck me the last time we talked,” Steve said, laughter clear in his voice.

Tony stayed still one moment, simply enjoying the warmth and solidity of Steve’s body. A beat later, he drew his head back, searching for Steve’s gaze. “So. We’re doing this? You and me. Together.”

Steve smiled - it wasn’t his usual earnest and somewhat sheepish smile. No, this smile was positively wicked, verging on dirty. Tony very much liked it. Leaning forward, Steve brushed the shell of Tony’s ear with his mouth. “Play your cards right, Stark, and we could be doing other stuff sooner than you think.”

Then he pulled back, grinning.

Tony’s mind took a moment to reboot. When it did, Tony tilted his head to the side, affecting his most business-like expression.

“And what would ‘playing my cards right’ entail?”

Steve’s grin widened. “You could start with buying me flowers,” Steve said. “I like lilies.”

There was only one proper response to this, really.

“You, Steve Rogers, are a jerk,” Tony said. He paused, his mouth widening in what was probably a completely, one-hundred percent, embarrassingly besotted smile. “I suppose that’s _my_ jerk now.”

“Yeah, Tony,” Steve agreed in a soft voice. “Yours.”

“Good,” Tony said. And then he kissed him.


End file.
